Week 8 Recap

In partnership with

Last week was the week to determine who is going to contend for conference titles and who isn’t. In the ACC both SMU and WFU are 4-1 in the conference and play each other on November 14^th in Dallas. That game will probably determine who faces Miami in the championship game. Virginia Tech at 3-2 in the conference looks like they might slip in, until you look at their schedule. The Hokies have games remaining against SMU and Miami, so they’re are probably looking at 3 or more conference losses. Louisville also has two conference losses and an easy remaining schedule, and they’ve already played Wake and SMU, losing to the Deacs and beating SMU. They could slip in if either team doesn’t take care of business.

Speaking of conference championship games, they may be going away with the onset of a twenty four team playoff next year, despite the fact that we’ve already seen that twelve teams are too many. In the category of colossally stupid ideas in college football, this one is near the top, right up there with pimped uniforms, the destruction of the PAC-10, and the end of classic rivalries (Southern Cal/ND, Bedlam, the Border War, The Civil War, The Backyard Brawl, Pitt/Penn State, The Pantsless Party, Teabag Surprise, and The Hot Carl). No team that knows they’re going to get a playoff invitation wants to risk a loss, but conference championship games are profitable, and what conference hasn’t already sold their soul for a few pieces of silver.

In the Big 10, UCLA and Ohio State are in the driver’s seat, Kentucky and Georgia are leading the SEC, and the Big 12 is wide open for now.

Duke 19 Virginia 16

A pretty good game between two mediocre teams; I will bore you no more on this topic.

NC State 28 Stanford 31

“If NC State loses to Stanford, Dave Doeren should not get on the plane to come home.” That was the first line of my preview last week, and State yet again could not live up to even modest expectations. Dave Doeren’s house is for sale, his porch is covered in burned up bags of manure, and he can’t leave town fast enough. Philip Rivers' name is being bantered about as the next coach, which seems like a great idea, his son is a four star high school QB already committed to State, Phil has never coached above the high school level, and State fans are known for their rational expectations. What could possibly go wrong? I’d love to see the 3-9 Pack playing 3-9 Heels next Thanksgiving for bragging rights. Belichick versus Rivers, how could Gameday resist that clash of titans? Speaking of which, the State Carolina game needs a cool nickname. War of the Punters, Tobacco Road Snoozer, The Arrogant versus The Incompetent, any reader suggestions?  

#18 LSU 38 Auburn 17

LSU won easily and now have to face Bama and Texas back to back. Both games are in Baton Rouge, but with two losses already, Lane Kiffin needs to win out or this season will be considered an expensive failure.

Syracuse 31 North Carolina 30 (OT)

Speaking of expensive failures, Carolina went into the 4^th quarter with a 10 point lead at home against the last place team in the conference, then collapsed and lost in overtime. Syracuse won, yet retains last place, and Miami visits Chapel Hill this weekend. The Heels can probably find two more wins the schedule and qualify for a bowl, but I don’t think the TransPerfect San Juan Bowl, which is sponsored by the Democratic Party, was what the UNC Board had in mind when they usurped the role of the athletic director to hire Bill. As has been said many times before, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”  

Men, Say Goodbye to Eyebags, Dark Spots & Wrinkles

Particle Face Cream is a 6-in-1 formula engineered specifically for men's skin. It reduces eye bags, dark spots, and wrinkles, restores firmness, hydrates deeply, and revives dull tone. Multiple premium anti-aging ingredients, clinically researched, built into one product that actually fits your routine.

Over 1,000,000 men have added Particle to their daily routine. Easy, effective, and worth the two minutes. Try it risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

20% Off With BH20

BILL, YOUR KIDS WRECKED THE CORVETTE. WHO GETS THE KEYS NOW?

Carolina's loss to Syracuse exposed an uncomfortable truth about football, coaching, and accountability: Sometimes you put your players in position to win, and they still don't make the plays.

For the record, that Syracuse receiver was NOT in the end zone on the two-point conversion that ended Saturday night's game.  The images circulating online haven't done much to change my mind. OK, that's out of the way.  What happened before that final play is considerably more troubling than what happened during it.

I've always believed football players do one of two things: what they're coached to do or what they're allowed to do. Poor tackling? Coaching. Undisciplined penalties? Coaching. Blown assignments? Coaching. That's the bargain when you accept the title of head coach. Except Carolina's 31–30 overtime loss to Syracuse exposed the limitations of that philosophy.

I watched Billy Edwards repeatedly miss wide-open receivers, including two standing alone in the end zone with passes they couldn't have caught by Jordan or Chamberlin. These weren't impossible throws against suffocating coverage. These were opportunities created by an offense that had done its job. And while Edwards, selected in part for his game-management abilities, has generally managed games well, managing a game and making the throws necessary to win one are different responsibilities. He finished with 271 passing yards and two touchdowns without an interception, but those numbers don't tell the whole story.

Then came Syracuse's 76-yard touchdown pass to Umari Hatcher, a devastating defensive decision by a freshman that helped erase Carolina's lead. Nobody coached those defensive backs to surrender that play. Nobody authorized missed tackles or coverage breakdowns. Sometimes, despite the preparation and instruction, players simply fail to execute.  In that situation, that kid has to simply grab the receiver (or...put him in the dirt coming from the far side of the field).

Before I blamed Belichick for everything (including my just cold enough to be aggravated arms as I sat in Kenan), I had to consider what his staff is actually accomplishing.  Carolina ranks fourth nationally and first in the ACC in fewest penalty yards per game, averaging just 31.7. Only Notre Dame, Rutgers, and Fresno State rank ahead nationally, while Virginia (46.9) and NC State (48.6) trail Carolina in second and third place in the conference. Against Syracuse, the Tar Heels committed just three penalties for 20 yards. That's not accidental. That's coaching, preparation, and discipline showing up on Saturday.

And the defense? Let's give that some perspective. In 2021, Carolina surrendered 32.1 points per game. In 2022, it was 30.8; in 2023, 27.3; and in 2024, 28.1. Last season, Belichick's first, that number dropped to 24.5. Through seven games this season, Carolina is allowing just 20.9 points per game, tied for 40th nationally. That's a substantial improvement over the defensive performances Carolina fans endured during the previous five seasons.

Carolina's Defensive Transformation

Opponent points allowed per game, 2021–2026. Lower is better.

The red-zone defense tells an equally important story.  Carolina is tied for third in the ACC, behind only Miami and Louisville, allowing opponents to score on 78.3 percent of their red-zone possessions. More impressively, opponents have scored touchdowns on just 11 of 23 trips inside Carolina's 20-yard line. That's a defense making opponents work for points instead of simply surrendering them.

Now, let's not confuse improvement with perfection. But there is a difference between a defense that occasionally fails and a defensive program that is fundamentally failing. Belichick and his staff deserve credit for that distinction. The discipline is real, the defensive improvement is measurable, and the opportunities to win are being created.

Which brings me back to that Corvette.

Imagine a father who buys his 16-year-old son a Corvette. He teaches him to drive, explains the dangers, pays for the insurance, and repeatedly warns him about speeding. The kid knows exactly what he's supposed to do. Then he takes the car out and wrecks it. Was the father wrong about everything he taught him? Of course not. Sometimes, no matter how much you've invested in your children, they just don't act right. But there's another question worth asking: Who thought giving a 16-year-old boy a Corvette was a good idea in the first place?

Bill, you selected Edwards. You assembled this roster. You established the expectations.  That's not blaming you for every bad throw or missed tackle. That's holding you accountable for what happens when those mistakes become a pattern.  Saturday taught me something about coaching that I hadn't fully appreciated. You can prepare your players, improve their discipline, put them in position to succeed, and still watch them fail to perform. Even the greatest coach cannot throw the football, catch the pass, or make the tackle himself.

But he can decide who gets the opportunity to try.

And that's where accountability returns to the man standing on the sideline. Miami is coming to Kenan Stadium, and the nation's No. 1 team isn't going to care how well Carolina's players were coached before making their mistakes. The Hurricanes will simply exploit them. So, Bill, I'll give you credit for the preparation, the discipline, and the improvements reflected in the numbers. You've earned that much.

I also watched you give the kids the car they needed to win Saturday night. And then I watched them wreck it within sight of the finish line.

Bill, is it time to hand the keys to a different kid?